How green thou art: Local churches take protecting the environment seriously

First Presbyterian Church Spartanburg has taken steps to become a greener place of worship by installing more efficient boilers and insulation. Here, Pastoral Executive Scott Neely talks about how the new boilers take up half the space of the old ones.

Published: Friday, February 8, 2013 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 8:25 p.m.

Over the past few years, First Presbyterian Church Spartanburg has undergone a transformation.

The light fixtures throughout the building have been stripped and replaced with compact fluorescent bulbs.

Forty-five-year-old boilers, which previously occupied a lot of space beneath the church, have been replaced with more modern, smaller and more efficient machines.

Improved, tighter foam insulation has been installed in the attic.

The widespread renovations were an effort to make the church greener — more environmentally friendly — while saving money at the same time.

“We are called to be better stewards of God's creation and to be better stewards of what God has given us,” said Scott Neely, pastoral executive.

Today, the church's gas bill has decreased significantly, Neely says. And while the building is being used a lot more now than it was four years ago, you couldn't tell by looking at the power bill.

“We have seen incredible results,” he said.

Dick Carr, chairman of Upstate Forever, a nonprofit committed to creating an environmentally and economically prosperous region, said churches can play a large role in helping the environment.

“We can all benefit when we work together,” he said. “If the church gets behind (this issue), that is just a group of more people doing what needs to be done.”

Change comes from within

Churches can work together to improve the environment, but they can also work together from within.

That's what First Presbyterian began doing about four years ago, before all of its upgrades were complete.

The church decided many heads were better than a few.

Neely said the church gathered a group of members from different professions to help tackle the issue, including an engineer and an educator.

Some of those who joined the effort had already worked with Upstate Forever and the Spartanburg Area Conservancy, two local organizations committed to environmentally friendly spaces.

The group of like-minded people were able to show church leaders how to address some problems and effect change.

“After we had the idea of what we wanted to do and started to find the projects, one of the questions became, ‘Well, how do we pay for it?' ” Neely said.

A Realtor who attends the church was recruited to help, one who knew about getting grants from the state energy office and who was interested in green-building.

“He knew grants we could tap into, that would open up a way for us to fund some of these boilers,” Neely said.

In August 2011, the state Energy Office gave First Presbyterian Church a nearly $250,000 loan through the Conserfund — South Carolina's low-interest loan program for energy efficiency improvements.

That loan got the ball rolling.

“This is what churches are meant to do,” Neely said. “We are meant to bring together the gifts that each of our members have in order to achieve a mission or do something.”

Movement is spreading

Many churches and religious leaders in Spartanburg County are stepping up to make a difference.

Last year, the Rev. Dr. Ron Robinson, chaplain at Wofford College, started the South Carolina chapter of Interfaith: Power and Light, a national movement that calls upon religious leaders to be faithful stewards of creation by responding to global warming through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

“We are (interested in) caring for the creation God gave us,” Robinson said. “But we don't want to just talk about it, we want to do something about it.”

He said changes can be made in the way churches recycle, the kind of light bulbs they use, by decreasing the use of paper in the church, and by ministers preaching on the topic.

The Spartanburg chapter of Interfaith: Power and Light met for the first time a few weeks ago. Robinson said about 20 clergy and laymen attended.

The turnout was “excellent,” Robinson said. “We have had some really good response from a couple of different congregations.”

Several local ministers are using the pulpit as a way to get a message across on the topic.

During a sermon about eight years ago, Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz of Temple B'Nai Israel encouraged congregates to conserve energy.

As he spoke, he stacked boxes on top of one another next to a sign that read “No carbon dioxide.” Each box was covered in black Hefty bags, and each box represented a different year: 1 through 7.

He told the congregation to look at the boxes.

The black Hefty bag “is the amount of carbon dioxide that it will take for you to light one light bulb for the next seven years,” he said at the time. “If you use the compact fluorescent lights, it will just take one of these seven boxes.”

He told his congregation: “You can either do the right thing, or you can let the world fall apart.”

At which point, he knocked the boxes over.

Afterward, he gave members of his congregation compact fluorescent lights, promoting their use.

According to EnergyStar.gov, a compact fluorescent lightbulb saves about $6 a year in electricity costs and can save more than $40 over its lifetime.

They use about 75 percent less energy than a traditional incandescent bulb and last at least six times longer.

“I talk about” the issue, Liebowitz said from his office recently. “It's no longer political — this is an earnest effort. It's the right thing to do.”

He adds that every religious liturgy speaks of protecting the Earth we live on.

But the message shouldn't come from the pulpit only, said Carr, the Upstate Forever chairman. It should stretch into the Sunday school classes, church fellowships and outreach programs. Changes should be made and encouraged throughout.

At Central United Methodist, disposable plastic cups or plates are no longer used during fellowships.

The Rev. Alex Stevenson, the church's pastor, said churches use too much paper.

“We are recycling,” he said. “The environment is a creation of God that was pronounced good by God. As a gift, we need to care for it. It is also a justice issue. When one group of people or generation abuses the environment, then others suffer.

“Pollution, deforestation, extinction of species causes suffering. Churches try to raise awareness of the need to take care of this gift we call Earth.”

For churches that aren't sure about what efforts to take, First Presbyterian's Neely says phone calls are welcome.

<p>Over the past few years, First Presbyterian Church Spartanburg has undergone a transformation.</p><p>The light fixtures throughout the building have been stripped and replaced with compact fluorescent bulbs.</p><p>Forty-five-year-old boilers, which previously occupied a lot of space beneath the church, have been replaced with more modern, smaller and more efficient machines.</p><p>Improved, tighter foam insulation has been installed in the attic.</p><p>The widespread renovations were an effort to make the church greener — more environmentally friendly — while saving money at the same time.</p><p>“We are called to be better stewards of God's creation and to be better stewards of what God has given us,” said Scott Neely, pastoral executive.</p><p>Today, the church's gas bill has decreased significantly, Neely says. And while the building is being used a lot more now than it was four years ago, you couldn't tell by looking at the power bill.</p><p>“We have seen incredible results,” he said.</p><p>Dick Carr, chairman of Upstate Forever, a nonprofit committed to creating an environmentally and economically prosperous region, said churches can play a large role in helping the environment.</p><p>“We can all benefit when we work together,” he said. “If the church gets behind (this issue), that is just a group of more people doing what needs to be done.”</p><h3>Change comes from within</h3>
<p>Churches can work together to improve the environment, but they can also work together from within.</p><p>That's what First Presbyterian began doing about four years ago, before all of its upgrades were complete.</p><p>The church decided many heads were better than a few.</p><p>Neely said the church gathered a group of members from different professions to help tackle the issue, including an engineer and an educator.</p><p>Some of those who joined the effort had already worked with Upstate Forever and the Spartanburg Area Conservancy, two local organizations committed to environmentally friendly spaces.</p><p>The group of like-minded people were able to show church leaders how to address some problems and effect change.</p><p>“After we had the idea of what we wanted to do and started to find the projects, one of the questions became, 'Well, how do we pay for it?' ” Neely said.</p><p>A Realtor who attends the church was recruited to help, one who knew about getting grants from the state energy office and who was interested in green-building.</p><p>“He knew grants we could tap into, that would open up a way for us to fund some of these boilers,” Neely said.</p><p>In August 2011, the state Energy Office gave First Presbyterian Church a nearly $250,000 loan through the Conserfund — South Carolina's low-interest loan program for energy efficiency improvements.</p><p>That loan got the ball rolling.</p><p>“This is what churches are meant to do,” Neely said. “We are meant to bring together the gifts that each of our members have in order to achieve a mission or do something.”</p><h3>Movement is spreading</h3>
<p>Many churches and religious leaders in Spartanburg County are stepping up to make a difference.</p><p>Last year, the Rev. Dr. Ron Robinson, chaplain at Wofford College, started the South Carolina chapter of Interfaith: Power and Light, a national movement that calls upon religious leaders to be faithful stewards of creation by responding to global warming through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.</p><p>“We are (interested in) caring for the creation God gave us,” Robinson said. “But we don't want to just talk about it, we want to do something about it.”</p><p>He said changes can be made in the way churches recycle, the kind of light bulbs they use, by decreasing the use of paper in the church, and by ministers preaching on the topic.</p><p>The Spartanburg chapter of Interfaith: Power and Light met for the first time a few weeks ago. Robinson said about 20 clergy and laymen attended.</p><p>The turnout was “excellent,” Robinson said. “We have had some really good response from a couple of different congregations.”</p><p>Several local ministers are using the pulpit as a way to get a message across on the topic.</p><p>During a sermon about eight years ago, Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz of Temple B'Nai Israel encouraged congregates to conserve energy.</p><p>As he spoke, he stacked boxes on top of one another next to a sign that read “No carbon dioxide.” Each box was covered in black Hefty bags, and each box represented a different year: 1 through 7.</p><p>He told the congregation to look at the boxes.</p><p>The black Hefty bag “is the amount of carbon dioxide that it will take for you to light one light bulb for the next seven years,” he said at the time. “If you use the compact fluorescent lights, it will just take one of these seven boxes.”</p><p>He told his congregation: “You can either do the right thing, or you can let the world fall apart.”</p><p>At which point, he knocked the boxes over.</p><p>Afterward, he gave members of his congregation compact fluorescent lights, promoting their use.</p><p>According to EnergyStar.gov, a compact fluorescent lightbulb saves about $6 a year in electricity costs and can save more than $40 over its lifetime.</p><p>They use about 75 percent less energy than a traditional incandescent bulb and last at least six times longer.</p><p>“I talk about” the issue, Liebowitz said from his office recently. “It's no longer political — this is an earnest effort. It's the right thing to do.”</p><p>He adds that every religious liturgy speaks of protecting the Earth we live on.</p><p>But the message shouldn't come from the pulpit only, said Carr, the Upstate Forever chairman. It should stretch into the Sunday school classes, church fellowships and outreach programs. Changes should be made and encouraged throughout.</p><p>At Central United Methodist, disposable plastic cups or plates are no longer used during fellowships.</p><p>The Rev. Alex Stevenson, the church's pastor, said churches use too much paper.</p><p>“We are recycling,” he said. “The environment is a creation of God that was pronounced good by God. As a gift, we need to care for it. It is also a justice issue. When one group of people or generation abuses the environment, then others suffer.</p><p>“Pollution, deforestation, extinction of species causes suffering. Churches try to raise awareness of the need to take care of this gift we call Earth.”</p><p>For churches that aren't sure about what efforts to take, First Presbyterian's Neely says phone calls are welcome.</p><p>“We are willing to help other churches any way we can,” he said.</p>